By:
On:
In: Finger Lakes Ice Fishing, Ice Fishing

There exists no fish worth risking ones life for. It is assumed by many that anytime an angler walks on to a frozen lake that he or she is risking their life. That is not true. Lakes, ponds and bays covered with five or more inches of uniform ice are safe places to explore and fish when conditions allow. Ice uniform in thickness and appearance without large cracks and open water pressure breaks five or more inches thick is safe to traverse. Ice sheets on a lake or bay that are subject to warm weather and ensuing run-off caused by snowmelt can still be safe evenRead More →

Professional Guide Service In Skaneateles Lake

By:
On:
In: Central New York Fishing, Finger Lakes Ice Fishing, Ice Fishing

The business of hunting and fishing equipment has morphed into a “big box” experience run buy corporations. While 25 years ago, the local sporting goods store or hardware store had a limited supply and selection, most of the stuff on the shelves was reliable. Made in the USA. Today… Not-so-much. The corporate buy-out of outdoor gear manufacturers and retailers  has created a homogenized lack of quality. The name of the game is to make more money. Useful, practical, well-constructed, quality outdoor clothing and equipment is tough to find! So much of todays stuff is disposable. If you get three seasons out of a pair of  Cabelas insulated hunting bibs before the crotch blows outRead More →

By:
On:
In: Ice Fishing

The winter of 2017/2018 was NOT a typical winter in upstate New York. A typical winter around here has become difficult to define. A traditional winter in the northeast is one in which lake ice forms in late December, grows thick in January and  stays solid through February before beginning a slow decay as winter transitions into Spring. Here in central New York we experienced several days above 45 degrees in late January and a couple days above 50 degrees in February. Such warm temperatures were coupled with rain and had a big impact on ice conditions. On some lakes and bays ice went from safeRead More →

By:
On:
In: Central New York Fishing, Finger Lakes Ice Fishing, Ice Fishing

Fact: As the winter progresses the thickness of ice on lakes will increase. In Central New York…Not-so-much. Global warming, climate change, NAFTA…I don’t know the cause but ice thickness on average has decreased. It was not uncommon for someone to drive up to us in a pick-up truck or a jeep while we sat on buckets jigging walleyes on Oneida Lake back in the 80’s. The ice often grew to two feet in thickness. Those days are gone. The fact is that recent trends in local weather seem to feature more extremes in un-seasonable temperatures.  As an outdoor guide weather is the biggest factor I cannotRead More →

By:
On:
In: Ice Fishing

Each winter the arrival of safe ice on local lakes is something keenly anticipated by many. As deer season comes to an end and the Holidays arrive, hardcore hard water anglers can be found preparing gear, watching the thermometer and soliciting reports of safe ice from fellow anglers. For those that do not ice fish the following series of blogs will likely not entertain. For those who do ice fish but are new to the pastime, I will share with you some things I have learned in over 30 years of exploring frozen lakes in search of fish. Throughout the following posts I will defineRead More →